IATF 16949:2016 TRANSITION INFORMATION
ISO/TS 16949 Overview ISO/TS 16949 Technical Specification for Automotive Quality Management Systems, in conjunction with ISO 9001, defines the quality system requirements for the design/ development, manufacturing, installation and servicing of automotive-related products. ISO/TS 16949 certification is a mandatory industry requirement developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) to align automotive quality systems throughout the world. ISO/TS 16949 was developed in 1999 by the IATF in conjunction with the ISO quality management technical committee ISO/TC 176. It is now one of the most widely used international standards in the automotive industry, aiming to harmonize the different assessment and certification systems in the global automotive supply chain. NSF-ISR is the largest ISO/TS 16949 certification body in the world by number of certificates, and we were among the first to be recognized by the IATF to conduct ISO/TS 16949 audits. We bring real-world knowledge and practical experience to our auditing program.
Changes to the Standard The IATF released the Automotive Quality Management System Standard, IATF 16949, on October 1st, 2016. This new document, along with applicable automotive customer specific requirements (CSRs) and ISO 9001:2015, defines the fundamental quality management system requirements for automotive suppliers. IATF 16949 is not a stand-alone QMS standard and must be audited in conjunction with ISO 9001:2015 and the CSRs. These separate standards must be used together to implement the changes as well as to audit the revised QMS. The goal of the standard is the development of a QMS that: -
Provides for continual improvement Emphasizes defect prevention Includes specific requirements and tools from the automotive industry Promotes the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain
Feedback from certification bodies, auditors, suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) was considered during development of the standard, to make it an innovative and customer-oriented document. Common automotive customer-specific requirements were also incorporated.
Relationship to ISO 9001:2015 ISO 9001:2015 provided the structure and foundation upon which IATF 16949 expands for the automotive industry. Some of the key changes provided by the ISO 9001:2015 standard are as follows: A new 10 clause structure based on the Annex SL model
A more comprehensive approach to controlling externally provided processes, products and services
Improved definition of Interested parties and an increased focus on performance and stakeholders
A pervasive concept of Risk based thinking throughout the standard
Improved definition of the “context of the organization”
The concept of protecting Organizational knowledge
Changes from ISO/TS 16949:2009 to IATF 16949 IATF 16949 requires complete conformance to all ISO 9001:2015 requirements and identifies the supplemental automotive management system requirements (which are extensive). The majority of these supplemental requirements are carry-over from ISO/TS 16949:2009 however there has been significant areas of update based on the evolving automotive industry direction. Highlights of the changes include the following: Product safety related requirements and considerations are added throughout the standard
Corporate responsibility policies such as “whistle blowing” are now required
Risk analysis considerations are expanded beyond ISO 9001 requirements throughout the standard
Various authorization and other requirements added related to control of nonconforming product and concessions or use of reworked or repaired product
Manufacturing feasibility requirements are enhanced to include capacity planning and the analysis is now required for any changes to processes or product designs
Internal Auditor and Second Party Auditor competencies are more clearly defined and expanded now
Multiple requirements added throughout the standard related to managing products with embedded software
Additional requirements related to an organizations supplier selection process
Requirement added for a secondparty audit process as part of the supplier management approach
Statutory and regulatory conformance evidence requirement added for all materials/components for country of manufacture and destination
Significant expansion of the requirements related to identification and traceability or products
Requirements added for “Temporary change of process controls” to define and approve, in advance, alternative process controls
Enhanced expectations related to Total Productive Maintenance
Contingency planning requirements have been expanded
Internal audit frequency and process coverage requirements have been modified
Several additional inputs to be considered during management reviews
Added requirement to have a documented process pertaining to application of error-proofing methodologies
Requirement to have a Warranty management process if expected by customers
Transition Plan Over 66,000 currently TS certified companies will need to transition to IATF 16949 over the next two years (prior to September 2018). We at NSF-ISR are currently working on our own system changes in order to provide this transition service as soon as possible. NSF-ISR is planning to be ready to conduct transition audits to IATF 16949 as early as March 2017 (or sooner?) as clients become ready. All Auditors will need to complete training prior to their first audit to the new standard; this training from IATF is expected to be available mid December 2016. Transition audits for existing NSF-ISR clients will be comprised of four (4) main steps as follows:
1) A “Gap Assessment” or “Upgrade Planner and Delta Checklist” document will be forwarded to clients for completion; this document is currently under construction and is planned to be available by mid November 2016 or sooner. Client is to complete this document to summarize changes to their Quality Management system (QMS) based on the revised requirements. This document should assist clients in validating that they have considered the necessary changes to their QMS.
2) An off-site Document review will be performed according to the IATF requirements and will be a ½ day event performed by the assigned Lead Auditor for the Transition audit. The completed “Gap Assessment” document along with other attachments will be a key input to this activity.
3) Pre-planning and planning for the Transition audit is expected to be performed in the same manner as we do for all audits today. Transition audits are expected to be equivalent in days to a recertification audit per table 5.2 of the Rules as long as timing requirements are met (see expectations in the IATF Transition Strategy document referenced below).
4) Transition audit is scheduled and completed as per typical audits (Support locations audited first). Nonconformity management (as required) commences as per normal audits and once completed, a 3 year certificate to IATF 16949 may be issued.
Transition Timeline
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ISO/TS 16949:2009 will not be valid after September 14, 2018. After October 1, 2017, no audits, including initial, surveillance, recertification or transfer, will be conducted to the current ISO/TS 16949:2009 All transition audits will be conducted as recertification audits, new certificates & new 3-year cycle will begin
Transition Timing Requirements The IATF transition strategy is available at www.iatfglobaloversight.org. At the time of this writing, the most recent edition is Revision 1 dated October 3 2016. It is required that your transition audit be conducted during your regularly scheduled audit timeframe. Transition audits can begin as early as January 1, 2017, but become mandatory after October 1, 2017. This means some organizations will only have one year to perform their upgrade before their transition audit. If the transition audit is not completed on time (the date exceeds your regular visit boundary date), then the decertification process will begin and more time will be required to perform the Transition audit (stage 2 time instead of re-assessment timing, table 5.2 in Rules). Transition audits cannot occur during a Transfer audit or during a special audit. See FAQs number 2 and 17 in the IATF Transition strategy document. It is expected and highly recommended that companies with remote support locations (RSLs) plan to have those RSLs audited first in support of the Transitioning sites. Failure to plan in this manner may jeopardize the plant audits and will certainly add complexity and cost to the transition process. The IATF has also made allowances for current cycle Auditors to be involved in Transition audits thereby providing Certification Bodies (CBs) with added scheduling flexibility during this transition period. Major NCs will continue to prompt certificate suspensions and on-site verifications as is the current requirement and approach. Initial certifications to IATF 16949 (not transitioning from ISO/TS 16949) will be considered for reductions in effort according to the IATF strategy document.
Upcoming Resources & Next Steps NSF-ISR will be releasing additional tools and resources geared towards helping registered organizations prepare to transition. These include readiness assessments, webinars, transition checklists and standards comparisons, as well as top management briefings and news updates.
1) Training on the new IATF 16949 should begin immediately for those responsible for your organizations QMS; Internal Auditors may require additional training depending on their current status.
2) Begin performing audits and gap assessments to the new requirements in order to develop an implementation timeline for your upgrade.
3) Communicate with your Account Manager regarding your expected Transition audit timing and reserve/schedule audit time in advance. All future resources and information will be housed on NSF’s Standards Revision page, www.nsf.org/info/iso-updates.
Please contact your NSF-ISR representative or email
[email protected] if there are any questions during this exciting transition timeframe.
NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR) | www.nsf-isr.org
